If you can bet on one thing with absolute certainty, it’s that Canadians love gambling. With quality casinos from Victoria to Halifax and lottery fever frequently taking the nation by storm, Canadians check their risk aversion at the door in the world of wagering. It’s no surprise that casino fans in Canada have also flocked online to gamble for two decades. From offshore sites to government-run offerings, online gambling is an antidote to those long, dark, and cold Canadian winters. Thanks to the recent launch of PlayOLG.ca Ontarians can play online even closer to home.

Other Top Online Casinos Are Smarter Bets

Although PlayOLG.ca is entirely legal and regulated, convenience comes at a price. The games, payout rates, and bonuses pale in comparison not just to offshore casinos but even what’s available in neighbouring provinces. Read our review and discover the best sites in Ontario and worldwide.

PlayOLG.ca Review

After announcing its foray into the world of online gambling in 2010, Ontario finally launched PlayOLG.ca in January of 2016. At close to five years in the making, it would be reasonable to expect something spectacular. Yet our reviewers were disappointed in the lacklustre game selection. This lack of satisfaction was increased by the fact that Ontario’s casinos in Windsor and Niagara Falls are impressive even by international standards.

Sign Up And Bonuses

The PlayOLG website looks rather bland but it’s easy to navigate. Players can get a 100% deposit bonus up to $150, which is low by industry standards but definitely better than a kick in the head. You will need to wager twenty times that amount before you can withdraw your bonus winnings, which seems high for such a small incentive.

The good news is registration takes just a couple of minutes and there’s no software to download. You’ll find fewer deposit methods than on international sites, but at least they’re decent options. Fund your account instantly using Interac online banking, Visa, or MasterCard. The bad part is that we were warned about cash advance fees from our credit card issuer, which aren’t just costly but it also means you won’t rack up any air miles or other rewards. At least Ontarians can enjoy playing in Canadian dollars, especially given rising exchange rates. Withdraws are also fast and free, but you’ll need to submit some paperwork for verification.

Game On

PlayOLG.ca is divided into two main areas: lottery and casino.

PlayOLG.ca is divided into two main areas: lottery and casino. The lottery section allows you to purchase lotto max, encore, and 6/49 tickets from your web browser. This is hardly revolutionary since it’s fairly easy and convenient to purchase tickets at thousands of retailers. The casino offers 18 different slot variations and table games, including blackjack, baccarat, three kinds of roulette, war, sic bo, and three-card fast poker. The graphics are on par with most online casinos and there’s no software to download.

PlayOLG is definitely a work in progress. If you’ve ever visited a real casino or an offshore site, you’ll probably feel like something is missing. The games selection isn’t just lacking but there are sections on the website that aren’t even active. Video Poker is one of the listed options yet when we were ready to play PlayOLG.ca informed us that it would be coming soon. The weirdest part is the lack of a lobby that ties everything together. Each game exists independently and is launched from the website. It feels a little dated in 2016 where apps reign supreme.

Failure To Launch

Online casinos often advertise the ability to play anywhere. With mobile devices dominating attention spans, many people have all but abandoned their laptops and desktops for anything other than work. Unlike most online casinos and poker rooms, PlayOLG does not offer a mobile experience. So much for playing blackjack during your morning commute or from the food court on your lunch break.

While PlayOLG might work on your mobile device or tablet, it isn’t optimized for smaller screens and may prove difficult to read if it loads at all. While mobile options are on the horizon, the timeline is a major mystery. The blackjack tables crashed our Android tablet in the middle of the game and our iPad browser launched a webpage telling us to use our laptop. Frankly, we’d rather use our laptop to play somewhere else.

Beyond The Borders

Although Ontario is the biggest province in the federation, it definitely wasn’t the first to usher in online gambling. BC has been offering online action for over a decade. Manitoba and the Maritimes have also followed suit in one form or another. While we can’t discount British Columbia’s head start, they simply offer a much better experience. Gamblers in BC can wager online in every way imaginable. BC internet gaming fans can purchase lottery tickets, enjoy a larger assortment of table and casino games with progressive jackpots, video poker, sports wagering, live betting, bingo, and online poker with real players. BC even offers its residents a proper mobile experience for iOS, Android, and even the ailing Blackberry platform for true patriots.

But don’t think about pointing your browser to BC’s online casino. Unfortunately each provincial site is only available to residents of their respective province. Folks in Toronto are stuck with PlayOLG.ca unless they venture offshore.

Going Global

While we’re confident that PlayOLG.ca will improve in time, why should you wait patiently for the province to work out the kinks? In reality there are better options out there including many that let you play in Canadian dollars using all your favourite payment methods. Check out these leading sites with better games and bigger bonuses. Make sure you consider all your options before deciding where to bring your bankroll.